A ballast is an additional weight, which can be added to a machine to alter the weight and weight displacement of the machine. Compactors are one example of a machine which may use a ballast in their operation. For example, compactors are used for various compaction tasks such as on highways, city streets, county roads, and well-graded gravel jobs. These differing jobs and surfaces often require differing compaction levels.
One type of compactor known as a pneumatic compactor utilizes a combination of tire pressure and machine weight to help achieve a desired compaction level. In order to better control the weight of a conventional pneumatic compactor, a ballast may be added or removed to add or subtract weight from the machine in order to optimize the compaction performance for various applications.
Steel plates are often used as conventional ballasts for pneumatic compactors. These plates vary in weight, but are typically flat on the bottom and require that an operator use a special loading stand, unique fixture, or a crane to load and unload the ballasts.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,636,835 (the '835 patent) issued to Reisser on Jan. 25, 1972, discloses a compaction machine that uses a ballast to alter the weight of the machine.